- APC Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda criticised Atiku’s plan to restore petrol subsidy
- He questioned how the proposed policy would be funded
- Yilwatda urged Nigerians to focus on sustainable economic plans ahead of 2027
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that Yilwatda described Atiku’s position as a “deeply troubling policy U-turn”, questioning how the proposed subsidy would be funded and whether the government could sustain the cost without worsening Nigeria’s fiscal challenges.
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Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has promised to introduce a targeted and transparent subsidy system if elected. He argues that Nigerians have not benefited sufficiently from the resources the Federal Government says were freed by the removal of the subsidy in 2023.
But Yilwatda said economic policy should not be reduced to election-season promises, insisting that Nigerians deserve clear explanations about the source of funding for any proposed subsidy.
According to him, the opposition should explain where the money for the policy would come from, which areas of the economy would bear the cost and whether the arrangement could be maintained without recreating the financial pressures that prompted the government to end the subsidy.
The APC chairman made the remarks during a visit to the headquarters of the City Boy Movement in Abuja.
He defended the Tinubu administration’s decision to remove petrol subsidy, describing it as a difficult but necessary reform aimed at addressing longstanding weaknesses in the country’s finances.
Yilwatda argued that the hardship resulting from the reform should be addressed through stronger social interventions and investments in productive sectors rather than by returning to the previous subsidy system.
He also urged Nigerians to assess the economic programmes of presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 election and determine whether their proposals could provide sustainable solutions to the country’s structural problems.
The APC chairman maintained that the coming election should focus on competing economic plans rather than promises designed to attract immediate political support.
He said the ruling party would continue to defend the Federal Government’s economic reforms while remaining open to credible ideas capable of improving the welfare of Nigerians.
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